1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective cover for a golf club particularly adapted to protect the upper portion of the golf club, namely, the head and shaft of the golf club adjacent the head.
2. Background Discussion
Referring to FIG. 12, a golf bag is illustrated, in which golf clubs 1 are received. The golf bag, which is denoted by the reference numeral 21 in FIG. 12, is partitioned to receive separately a plurality of golf clubs therein. The golf bag 21 also has a slope at the entrance thereof so that the user can easily and conveniently extract golf clubs 1 from the golf bag 21 upon using those golf clubs. Golf clubs 1 are received in the golf bag 21 while being arranged together in parallel in such a manner that those having a shorter length are received in the front portion of the golf bag 21 whereas those having a longer length are received in the rear portion of the golf bag 21. Accordingly, the golf clubs 1 can be easily selected upon their use in accordance with their range. Meanwhile, when the user carries the golf bag 21, golf clubs 1 received in the golf bag 21 may move, so that they come into contact with one another.
Where golf clubs 1 are received in the golf bag 21 in a manner shown in FIG. 12, the head 2 of short club adjacent a longer club comes into contact with the shaft 3 of the longer golf club, frequently causing the shaft 3 of the longer golf club to be scratched. As a result, the paint layer on the surface of the shaft 3 being scratched is peeled off. This results in a degradation in the appearance of the golf club. In order to solve such a problem, a head cover illustrated in FIG. 13 has been proposed. As shown in FIG. 13, such a head cover has a head cover portion 4 adapted to enclose the head 2 of a golf club 1, and a shaft cover portion 5 adapted to enclose the upper portion of the shaft 3 of the golf club 1. The head cover is put on the golf club 1 before the golf club 1 is received in the golf bag 21. That is, the head cover is put on the golf club 1 by inserting the head 2 of the golf club 1 into an opening defined at the lower end of the shaft cover portion 5 under the condition in which the golf club 1 is inserted in an inverted state, until the head 2 is enclosed by the head cover portion 4 while the shaft 3 is enclosed by the shaft cover portion 5.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the shaft 3 of the golf club 1 from being damaged due to its movement occurring while carrying the golf bag, because the head cover encloses the head 2 and shaft 3. However, the dimensions of the opening of the head cover portion 4 are small relative to the dimensions of the head 2. Due to such a small dimensions of the opening, considerable effort is required to put the head cover on and take it off the head 2 of the golf club 1. In other words, it is very difficult to put the head cover on the golf club 1 rapidly, because the user must insert the head 2 of the golf club 1 into the opening of the head cover while widening the opening by hand. Upon taking off the head cover, a strong force is required to extract the head of the golf club through the narrow opening of the head cover.
Furthermore, when the golf club 1 with the head cover thereon is placed into the golf bag 21, its shaft cover portion 5 may come into contact, at the lower end thereof, with the head covers on other golf clubs already received in the golf bag 21, or with the upper ends of the partitions 21a shown in dotted lines provided in the golf bag 21. As a result, the head cover portion 5 of the head cover may shift upwardly due to contact of its lower end with such head covers on other golf clubs already received in the golf bag 21, or with the upper ends of the partitions 21a. When the head cover portion 5 of the head cover shifts upwardly at its lower end as mentioned above, the shaft 3 of the golf club 1 is exposed, so that it may come into direct contact with other golf clubs directly or with head covers on such golf clubs. For this reason, this still results in a degradation in the appearance of the golf club shaft due to wear.
FIG. 14 illustrates another conventional head cover. This head cover has a cover body 6 adapted to enclose both the head 2 and the lower portion of the shaft 3 of a golf club. The cover body 6 is longitudinally slitted along the cover body 6 to allow an easy insertion of the head 2 and shaft 3 of the golf club 1 into the head cover. The head cover also has a slide fastener attached to the slitted portion of the cover body 6. In the case of this head cover, the slide fastener 7 attached to the cover body 6 is open upon putting the head cover on the golf club 1. Thereafter, the head 2 of the golf club 1 is inserted into the head cover through the widen opening of the head cover. After the insertion, the slide fastener 7 is closed. Thus, the head cover is put on the golf club 1, so that it protects the head 2 and the lower portion of the shaft 3. However, this head cover still is inconvenient to use because the slide fastener 7 must be manipulated, opening and closing it every time the head cover is put on, or taken off, the golf club. Typically, the head cover is made of a thick fabric in order to provide a buffering function. For this reason, the head cover is bulky, so that it unnecessarily occupies a great deal of space. This leads to a bulky structure of the golf bag 21 itself. In contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,193 discloses a golf club head cover similar to that depicted in FIG. 13 with a portion adapted to enclose the head of a golf club, and a shaft cover portion extending downwardly from the head cover portion and serving to enclose the lower portion of the shaft of the golf club. This golf club cover has a different configuration from the head cover of FIG. 13, only in that it has a longitudinal slot formed in the shaft cover portion in order to insert conveniently the head and shaft of the golf club into the cover. However, this golf club cover still is inconvenient to use because the insertion of the head and shaft of the golf club into the cover is carried out under the condition in which the slot is widen.